Spreads, Moneylines and Totals: The European Fan’s Guide to Betting on American Football

AFI | News | 11/02/2026

If you grew up watching football with a round ball, NFL betting can look like a foreign language. Instead of a simple home win, draw or away win, you see numbers like −7.5, +150 and O/U 47.5. The good news is that these markets follow a clear logic, and once you understand it, they are easy to read. When exploring betting options, you may also come across comparisons of top bookmakers without GamStop, although these operators may not offer the same consumer protections as UK-licensed bookmakers. This guide explains the main American football betting markets step by step, with simple examples, so you can follow the odds as confidently as you follow the game.

Why Does American Football Betting Look So Different?

The short answer: American football rarely ends in a draw, and many games are lopsided. In European football, the classic 1X2 market works because draws are common. In the NFL, ties are possible in the regular season but extremely rare, so bookmakers offer markets designed to make even mismatched games interesting to bet on.

The NFL’s growth in Europe has made these markets more relevant than ever. According to the NFL’s own operations site, the league now plays at least four regular-season games abroad every season, and every team is guaranteed an international home game at least once every eight seasons.

How Do American Odds Work?

American odds (also called moneyline odds) use a plus or minus sign:

Positive odds (+150) show how much you win on a 100 stake. A 10 bet at +150 returns 25 in total: your 10 stake plus 15 profit.
Negative odds (−120) show how much you need to stake to win 100. A 12 bet at −120 returns 22: your 12 stake plus 10 profit.

To convert to the decimal odds most Europeans know:

Positive: (American odds ÷ 100) + 1, so +150 = 2.50
Negative: (100 ÷ American odds) + 1, so −120 = 1.83

The minus sign marks the favourite, and the plus sign marks the underdog.

What Is a Moneyline Bet?

A moneyline is the simplest NFL bet: you pick which team wins the game, regardless of the score.

Example: Eagles −200 vs Giants +170. The Eagles are favourites. A 20 bet on them returns 30 if they win (decimal 1.50). A 10 bet on the Giants returns 27 if they pull off the upset (decimal 2.70).

What about a tie? Many bookmakers treat a tied NFL moneyline as a push and return your stake. Others also offer a three-way market with the draw as a separate option, which will feel familiar to European fans. Always check your bookmaker’s rules.

What Is a Point Spread?

The point spread is the most popular NFL market. Instead of picking the winner, you bet on the margin of victory. The favourite has to win by more than the spread, while the underdog can lose by less than the spread and still “cover”.

Example: Chiefs −6.5 vs Bills +6.5, both at −110.

If the Chiefs win 27–20 (by 7), a bet on Chiefs −6.5 wins.
If the Chiefs win 24–20 (by 4), a bet on Bills +6.5 wins, even though the Bills lost the game.

Spreads often end in .5 to avoid a draw. When the spread is a whole number, say −3, and the favourite wins by exactly 3, the bet is a push and your stake is returned. This matters in the NFL because 3 and 7 are the most common winning margins, thanks to field goals and touchdowns with extra points.

The −110 on both sides is the bookmaker’s margin, often called the “juice” or “vig”. You stake 110 to win 100 on either side, which is how the bookmaker earns its cut.

What Are Totals (Over/Under)?

A totals bet ignores who wins. You bet on whether the combined score of both teams goes over or under a line set by the bookmaker.

Example: Total set at 47.5.

Final score 27–24 = 51 points: Over
Final score 20–17 = 37 points: Under

Weather, injuries to key quarterbacks and the teams’ playing styles all influence totals.

Props and Futures: Beyond the Final Score

Props (proposition bets) focus on specific events within a game. Popular examples include whether a quarterback throws for over or under 274.5 yards, or whether a particular player scores a touchdown at any point. Props are especially popular during the Super Bowl, when bookmakers offer hundreds of them.

Futures are long-term bets settled at the end of the season, such as which team will win the Super Bowl or a division. If a team is +600 to win the Super Bowl (decimal 7.00), a 10 bet would return 70 if they lift the trophy.

Putting It Into Practice: International Games

International games are a great place for European fans to start. The 2026 season features a record slate, and Fox Sports reported that the league scheduled nine international games, the most it has ever played abroad in a single season. Following the spreads and totals for those games is an easy way to get comfortable reading NFL odds.